iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Mega Houndoom is the best starting point for a high-damage Dark raid attacker in the rankings reviewed on October 7, 2026—but it is not an automatic choice for every raid or roster. Mega Tyranitar deals less damage per second in Dittobase’s baseline simulation but lasts longer, while Shadow Darkrai and Hydreigon offer other strong options with different durability and move-access trade-offs.
These are raid recommendations, not a PvP ranking. Rankings are simulation-based shortlists; the boss, your available Pokémon, and their moves determine which attacker makes sense.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Pokémon GO eGift Card | $100.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Pokémon GO eGift Card | $50.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Pokémon GO eGift Card | $25.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Pokemon TCG: Random Cards from Every Series, 50 Cards in Each Lot | $6.48 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
$15 Apple Gift Card—Email Delivery | $15.00 | Buy on Amazon |
Which Dark attacker should you choose?
| Your priority | Starting pick | What to consider |
|---|---|---|
| Highest default ranking | Mega Houndoom with Snarl and Dark Pulse+ | Dittobase ranks it first in its stated Level 40, perfect-IV, no-weather baseline. Dark Pulse+ is a special move, so confirm you can access it in-game before investing. |
| More staying power from a Mega | Mega Tyranitar with Bite and Brutal Swing | Its baseline eDPS is lower than Houndoom’s, but its TDO is higher. It is also among the leading choices in the other reviewed rankings. |
| A high-output Shadow option | Shadow Darkrai with Snarl and Foul Play | It ranks near the top, but Shadow Pokémon take more incoming damage and can faint sooner. |
| A non-legendary, non-Ultra Beast option | Hydreigon with Bite and Brutal Swing | Dittobase identifies it as a quick pick in this category. Check whether the move is currently available to you and whether an Elite TM is needed. |
The rankings include Pokémon using Dark-type attacks, not only Pokémon whose own type is Dark. Some entries also rely on Mega or Shadow forms, or on special move variants. Treat the list as a guide to attack options rather than a strict roster of Dark-type species.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteWhat the ranking numbers say—and what they do not
Dittobase’s page, labeled updated October 6, 2026, ranks Mega Houndoom first in its default setup: Level 40, 15/15/15 IVs, and no weather, friendship, or Party Power bonuses. It reports 30.54 eDPS and 736.1 TDO for Mega Houndoom with Snarl and Dark Pulse+. Mega Tyranitar with Bite and Brutal Swing scores 27.39 eDPS and 900.4 TDO under that same setup. These are Dittobase simulation outputs, not results from live gameplay testing. See Dittobase’s Dark attacker rankings and assumptions.
#1 Best Overall
- For Pokémon GO $100 Gift Card (15,000 PokéCoins) ONLY. Unleash the full potential of your Pokémon GO adventure with a Pokémon GO $100 gift card!
- This card grants you 15,000 PokéCoins, the in-game currency used to purchase premium items, and upgrades. That’s 500 bonus Pokécoins compared to purchasing in-app!
- Enhance your gameplay by expanding your Pokémon storage, obtaining Poké Balls, and stocking up on items like Incense and Lure Modules.
- Perfect as a gift for Trainers of all levels or as a personal boost, this gift card ensures you stay ahead in your journey to become the best.
- Get your Pokémon GO $100 Gift Card (15,000 PokéCoins) today and transform your Pokémon GO adventure.
The contrast is useful: Houndoom leads on eDPS, while Tyranitar’s higher TDO means it is projected to deal more damage before fainting. A top damage-rate result does not by itself say which option will be more useful for your full raid team.
Dittobase defines DPS as sustained damage rate that accounts for energy generation and charged-move animation time; TDO is damage dealt before fainting. Its eDPS score incorporates relobby downtime and assumes a 10-second relobby by default. In its own words, the page’s rankings “score every Dark-type raid attacker in Pokémon GO by eDPS (effective DPS, which blends sustained damage with relobby downtime against a representative boss pool weak to Dark).”
Rank #2
- For Pokémon GO $50 Gift Card (7,000 PokéCoins) ONLY. Unleash the full potential of your Pokémon GO adventure with a Pokémon GO $50 gift card!
- This card grants you 7,000 PokéCoins, the in-game currency used to purchase premium items and upgrades. That’s 300 bonus Pokécoins compared to purchasing in-app!
- Enhance your gameplay by expanding your Pokémon storage, obtaining Poké Balls, and stocking up on items like Incense and Lure Modules.
- Perfect as a gift for Trainers of all levels or as a personal boost, this gift card ensures you stay ahead in your journey to become the best.
- Get your Pokémon GO $50 Gift Card (7,000 PokéCoins) today and transform your Pokémon GO adventure.
Other reviewed rankings also put Mega Houndoom near the top, but their ordering differs. Pokémon GO Hub displays Mega Houndoom first, Shadow Darkrai second, and Mega Tyranitar third in the configuration reviewed; Pokebattler lists both Mega Houndoom and Mega Tyranitar among its leading Dark-move raid attackers. Their rank numbers and scores should not be compared directly with Dittobase’s: the sites use different scoring methods and matchup aggregation. Check the live pages for their current configurations. Pokémon GO Hub’s Dark attacker ranking · Pokebattler’s Dark raid attacker ranking.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →How Mega, Shadow, and regular picks differ
Mega Houndoom: the damage-first default
Mega Houndoom is the leading general starting point in the three ranking sources reviewed. Its advantage is conditional on the simulation setup and the move set shown; do not treat its placement as a guarantee that it will outperform every alternative in every raid. Dark Pulse+ is marked as a special move in Dittobase’s recommendation, so check in-game availability before spending resources around that moveset.
Rank #3
- For Pokémon GO $25 Gift Card (3,300 PokéCoins) ONLY. Unleash the full potential of your Pokémon GO adventure with a Pokémon GO $25 gift card!
- This card grants you 3,300 PokéCoins, the in-game currency used to purchase premium items, and upgrades. That’s 100 bonus Pokécoins compared to purchasing in-app!
- Enhance your gameplay by expanding your Pokémon storage, obtaining Poké Balls, and stocking up on items like Incense and Lure Modules.
- Perfect as a gift for Trainers of all levels or as a personal boost, this gift card ensures you stay ahead in your journey to become the best.
- Get your Pokémon GO $25 Gift Card (3,300 PokéCoins) today and transform your Pokémon GO adventure.
Mega Tyranitar: a durable Mega alternative
Mega Tyranitar has a lower baseline eDPS than Mega Houndoom, but its higher TDO indicates more damage dealt before fainting in Dittobase’s model. That makes it a useful alternative when longevity matters to your team plan. It also appears among the leading Dark-move raid attackers in Pokémon GO Hub and Pokebattler.
Shadow Darkrai: high output with a survival cost
Shadow Darkrai is a strong option in the reviewed rankings. Dittobase describes the Shadow trade-off as 20% more attack and 20% more incoming damage, with defense reduced to 5/6 of normal. Its strong damage output therefore comes with greater fainting risk; whether that is worthwhile depends on the raid and how your team handles relobbying.
Rank #4
- YOUR BEST VALUE ON POKEMON CARDS: Look no further for the best deals on assorted Pokemon cards.
- LOTS OF RANDOM CARDS FROM ALL SERIES: You will receive a variety of regular and energy cards. Duplicates may occur.
- BOOST YOUR COLLECTION: With random cards from every series, each lot is a surprise.
- Generic Packaging
Hydreigon: a regular Pokémon to consider
For a non-legendary, non-Ultra Beast option, Dittobase’s quick-pick card points to Hydreigon with Bite and Brutal Swing. Pokémon GO Hub marks Brutal Swing with an asterisk in its list, and the official Dawn Wings Necrozma advice cautions that an Elite Fast TM or Elite Charged TM is typically required for certain listed attacks. Move access can change, so verify the current in-game option before using a TM or investing Stardust and Candy.
When Dark attacks are useful
Dark attacks are especially relevant when a raid boss is weak to Dark. Official Pokémon advice for Deoxys and Cresselia identifies Dark, Ghost, and Bug attacks among useful counter types and names Tyranitar and Hydreigon as options. Its Dawn Wings Necrozma advice also lists Tyranitar and Hydreigon as Dark-type choices. These are matchup examples, not a complete or live counter list; use the current raid boss’s weaknesses and your available team to make the final selection.
Best Value
- For all things Apple - products, accessories, apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, iCloud+, and more.
- Perfect for App Store purchases and subscriptions—get apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, and more.
- The perfect gift to say happy birthday, thank you, congratulations, and more.
- Available in $15 - 500, Card delivered via email or SMS
- Use it for purchases at any Apple Store location, on the Apple Store app, apple.com, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple News+, Apple Books, Apple Arcade, iCloud+, Fitness+, Apple One, and other Apple properties in US only
For official matchup examples and move-access cautions, see The Pokémon Company’s Deoxys raid advice, Cresselia raid advice, and Dawn Wings Necrozma raid advice.
Quick Recap
A practical way to use the rankings
- Check the boss’s weakness. Use a Dark attacker when Dark is a relevant counter type for that raid, rather than choosing from a type ranking alone.
- Choose the role you need. Start with Mega Houndoom for the highest default ranking, consider Mega Tyranitar for more projected staying power, and weigh Shadow Darkrai’s output against its extra incoming damage.
- Verify the move set. Look for special-move markers and confirm current in-game access before using TMs or committing resources.
- Consider the whole team. DPS, damage before fainting, and relobby downtime describe different parts of raid performance. A single ranking score cannot account for every boss, roster, or player situation.
- Recheck current rankings when needed. The reviewed figures reflect pages checked October 6–7, 2026; balance changes, move availability, raid formats, and simulator settings can alter the results.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
